A Gift of the Past
by Lightning-Alchemist-Rini
Summary: Thrown into a world she doesn't understand Reina Moore must cope with learning how to both live without modern conveniences and medicines as well as trying to fit in with a people who believe so vastly different from herself. Can she find a way to get home or be stranded forever thousands of years in the past?


A/N: I've actually wanted to try an Earth's Children fic for sometime now since it's one of my favorite series, but I'm even stricter with how I will write for something I love. I have a good plot settled in my head but I am torn between one of 2 possible parings for my oc which could possibly alter the storyline. I either want to pair her with a Mammotoi man or Thonolan ( which would involve keeping him alive, but I have a workable idea for that as well ) I am just torn between which may work out the best.

Not that I am expecting anyone to read this, I doubt anyone even visits this section anymore besides myself. lol

Well without further adu, my story. And no worries the chapters will get longer to anyone who stumbles upon this strange little work of mine. :P

Earth's Children to Jean M Auel

OPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOP

A Gift of the Past

Freezing icy rain poured down upon the teens head as she sloshed through grass grown to nearly her waist and bypassed a still pond, showing the first ice of the coming winter. Though the days of snow and cold were still a ways off the season held nothing back in early fall.

A few trees bearing the last of their bountiful harvest went unnoticed as the young woman; arms around her chest struggled to keep warm. Not even the sweater she wore kept out the rain and after a time she found herself drenched, her jeans weighing her down and short red hair plastered to her head. She sneezed suddenly, bringing a hand to wipe quickly at her nose before burying it beneath her underarm once more.

She was more confused then afraid however, finding herself in the grassy steppes among several large bison wondering freely and browsing upon nature's bounty. She wasn't sure where she was but if she just kept going she was sure to reach a town, or perhaps a house somewhere in this strange place.

And strange this place definitely was to her.

She had caught sight of several animals since she awoke that afternoon to find herself in a grassy field and though apprehensive, found herself more intrigued by her new environment. It had to all be a dream she had told herself at regular intervals. This was just too mind boggling to be a reality. There were no wild bison just wondering around in the states anymore, not where she lived anyway and several other animal like that cackling hyena she noticed she was sure were not normal natives.

She still remembered the argument she and her mother had the previous evening. She wanted to go out with her friends, but lately her grades had been dropping, shortly after her father finally succumbed to the cancer that had taken root only the previous year. Her mother hadn't wanted her to leave, said she should stay in that night. This had led to a huge blow up, one Reina regretted wholeheartedly and wished she could take back now.

There was however nothing to be done and that afternoon when she woke planning to apologize she found she had lost her chance. Perhaps she was dead and this was some form of hell or so and her punishment. Could you be freezing with cold if you were dead? She wasn't sure having never been dead before, but she didn't think it was possible and simply ploughed on.

She was unaware however a larger predator had finally made an appearance and was now stalking her through the longer grass, as though sensing her weakened state. Though not a cave lion it was another of the wily hyena, this one alone and looking for any opportunity to go after a weakened creature, and Reina wondering in the cold hadn't noticed her body temperature lowering, the signs of hypothermia setting in and putting her in the very dangerous state of succumbing to the very environment she now found herself in.

Just a little ways ahead she spied a light up high against a rock-strewn cliff, several boulders lined the way and there was a very narrow path leading up. As Reina drew near she realized the light she had noticed was actually a fire at the mouth of a small cave.

Odd...

A cackling from behind made her glance fearfully back at the large animal bringing up her rear. The only reason he had not already taken down the girl was painful memories were associated with her kind, memories of flying rocks and painful thumps.

Urged on by fear now Reina began to climb and cried out in pain when the hyena sensing his prey about to escape made a mad dash forward, sinking his sharp canines deep into the material of her shoes and into her ankle and began to drag the already weakened girl back down.

She began to scream as pain and shock set into to her mostly numbed mind. This couldn't be a dream after all, dreams weren't supposed to hurt. Didn't people always say to pinch yourself to see if you were dreaming?

Blood ran down her ankle and pooled around her foot as she stumbled and lost her grip when the animal suddenly yelped and fell over dead from a wound directly to his head and Reina through blurred vision caught a glimpse of a strange blond woman making her way down quickly from the cave above, sling still in her hand, and a large spear crafted in the manner of the Clan in the other, before she succumbed to the darkness.

The environment of her horse valley had supplied all of her immediate needs. Food, shelter, water and a friend in the form of the young mare she had named Whinney, but not the human companionship she desperately craved. All she knew of the others were they looked like her, tall straight legged and without the brow ridges of the people of the Clan.

When she had heard the woman cry out she acted without a second thought, grabbing her sling and using the double stone technique she had taught herself so long ago, back when she was still learning to hunt, before she had been cursed the first time.

Now she knelled over the girl who appeared around her own age and examined her wound. It was not as bad as it initially seemed, the material of her strange footwear had taken most of the damage and though the wound was deep there was no further damage within. The main problem was she was drenched and shivering with a deep cold, and Ayla knew she'd need to get the woman of the others up and into her cave quickly.

There was no other way she realized she would have to carefully drag the woman up, and gripping her carefully under her arms Ayla began to slowly drag the woman to the shelter of her cave.

It took some time but she finally reached her cave and the red headed woman was resting in her furs. At first Ayla was unsure how to remove the woman's wet clothing and after pulling her top off and discarding it stared at the strange material binding her breasts and after a few curious glances left it in place, her material on her legs was another manner, no matter how she pulled they would not slide down and feeling a little guilty simply cut them away. It was more important for her to regain her body heat then to lose one piece of clothing.

After her wet clothing was removed, a poultice was wrapped around her swollen ankle. The foot coverings she wore were strange to Ayla and after simply tugging them off she sat holding it in her hand looking at it curiously as the other woman slept soundlessly in her fur. After a time Ayla banked her fire for the evening, signalled to Whinny she was going to sleep and curled up next to the woman adding in her body heat to the chilled woman of the others.

Ayla never expected to meet another of her kind so soon after finding the small valley, but she felt grateful and sent a few thoughts to her totem in silent appreciation of the gift, and she hoped the woman of the others could tell her more of her own kind in the morning.

Ayla closed her eyes and snuggled icy rain poured down upon the teens head as she sloshed through grass grown to nearly her waist and bypassed a still pond, showing the first ice of the coming winter. Though the days of snow and cold were still a ways off the season held nothing back in early fall.

A few trees bearing the last of their bountiful harvest went unnoticed as the young woman; arms around her chest struggled to keep warm. Not even the sweater she wore kept out the rain and after a time she found herself drenched, her jeans weighing her down and short red hair plastered to her head. She sneezed suddenly, bringing a hand to wipe quickly at her nose before burying it beneath her underarm once more.

She was more confused then afraid however, finding herself in the grassy steppes among several large bison wondering freely and browsing upon nature's bounty. She wasn't sure where she was but if she just kept going she was sure to reach a town, or perhaps a house somewhere in this strange place.

And strange this place definitely was to her.

She had caught sight of several animals since she awoke that afternoon to find herself in a grassy field and though apprehensive, found herself more intrigued by her new environment. It had to all be a dream she had told herself at regular intervals. This was just too mind boggling to be a reality. There were no wild bison just wondering around in the states anymore, not where she lived anyway and several other animal like that cackling hyena she noticed she was sure were not normal natives.

She still remembered the argument she and her mother had the previous evening. She wanted to go out with her friends, but lately her grades had been dropping, shortly after her father finally succumbed to the cancer that had taken root only the previous year. Her mother hadn't wanted her to leave, said she should stay in that night. This had led to a huge blow up, one Reina regretted wholeheartedly and wished she could take back now.

There was however nothing to be done and that afternoon when she woke planning to apologize she found she had lost her chance. Perhaps she was dead and this was some form of hell or so and her punishment. Could you be freezing with cold if you were dead? She wasn't sure having never been dead before, but she didn't think it was possible and simply ploughed on.

She was unaware however a larger predator had finally made an appearance and was now stalking her through the longer grass, as though sensing her weakened state. Though not a cave lion it was another of the wily hyena, this one alone and looking for any opportunity to go after a weakened creature, and Reina wondering in the cold hadn't noticed her body temperature lowering, the signs of hypothermia setting in and putting her in the very dangerous state of succumbing to the very environment she now found herself in.

Just a little ways ahead she spied a light up high against a rock-strewn cliff, several boulders lined the way and there was a very narrow path leading up. As Reina drew near she realized the light she had noticed was actually a fire at the mouth of a small cave.

Odd...

A cackling from behind made her glance fearfully back at the large animal bringing up her rear. The only reason he had not already taken down the girl was painful memories were associated with her kind, memories of flying rocks and painful thumps.

Urged on by fear now Reina began to climb and cried out in pain when the hyena sensing his prey about to escape made a mad dash forward, sinking his sharp canines deep into the material of her shoes and into her ankle and began to drag the already weakened girl back down.

She began to scream as pain and shock set into to her mostly numbed mind. This couldn't be a dream after all, dreams weren't supposed to hurt. Didn't people always say to pinch yourself to see if you were dreaming?

Blood ran down her ankle and pooled around her foot as she stumbled and lost her grip when the animal suddenly yelped and fell over dead from a wound directly to his head and Reina through blurred vision caught a glimpse of a strange blond woman making her way down quickly from the cave above, sling still in her hand, and a large spear crafted in the manner of the Clan in the other, before she succumbed to the darkness.

OPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPOPO

The environment of her horse valley had supplied all of her immediate needs. Food, shelter, water and a friend in the form of the young mare she had named Whinney, but not the human companionship she desperately craved. All she knew of the others were they looked like her, tall straight legged and without the brow ridges of the people of the Clan.

When she had heard the woman cry out she acted without a second thought, grabbing her sling and using the double stone technique she had taught herself so long ago, back when she was still learning to hunt, before she had been cursed the first time.

Now she knelled over the girl who appeared around her own age and examined her wound. It was not as bad as it initially seemed, the material of her strange footwear had taken most of the damage and though the wound was deep there was no further damage within. The main problem was she was drenched and shivering with a deep cold, and Ayla knew she'd need to get the woman of the others up and into her cave quickly.

There was no other way she realized she would have to carefully drag the woman up, and gripping her carefully under her arms Ayla began to slowly drag the woman to the shelter of her cave.

It took some time but she finally reached her cave and the red headed woman was resting in her furs. At first Ayla was unsure how to remove the woman's wet clothing and after pulling her top off and discarding it stared at the strange material binding her breasts and after a few curious glances left it in place, her material on her legs was another manner, no matter how she pulled they would not slide down and feeling a little guilty simply cut them away. It was more important for her to regain her body heat then to lose one piece of clothing.

After her wet clothing was removed, a poultice was wrapped around her swollen ankle. The foot coverings she wore were strange to Ayla and after simply tugging them off she sat holding it in her hand looking at it curiously as the other woman slept soundlessly in her fur. After a time Ayla banked her fire for the evening, signalled to Whinny she was going to sleep and curled up next to the woman adding in her body heat to the chilled woman of the others.

Ayla never expected to meet another of her kind so soon after finding the small valley, but she felt grateful and sent a few thoughts to her totem in silent appreciation of the gift, and she hoped the woman of the others could tell her more of her own kind in the morning.

Ayla closed her eyes and snuggled closer.


End file.
